Nobody wants to put their package in a grubby, sticky box that's clearly been recently used – but many an excellent box is made unappealing by an untidy exterior. That's where Box Refresh – the worst-named product of 2024 – hopes to make a difference.
In the age of Amazon, we're all using more boxes than ever before – at least 80 million a year, just in the USA. Every time another one goes in the recycle bin, effort, energy, transport and materials are marshalled… Just to turn it back into another box.
Which is nuts; it's still a perfectly good box. Perhaps one that's covered in shipping guff and some other company's branding, but a box nonetheless, and if an untidy exterior is a reason for you not to re-use it, well, Box Refresh is targeted right at you as a way to get more box per box.
It's a $10 roll-on "liquid paper for boxes" that covers over logos, shipping labels, markings and ugly old bits of sticky tape, and while it isn't invisible, it gives you a 10-second way to wipe the slate clean and teach an old box new tricks. Well, 10 seconds to apply... five to 10 minutes to dry completely, but you get the idea.
Box Refresh is targeting businesses, hoping to give this kind of clever re-use strategy an even bigger halo than recycling. It's not going to work for every company; there are plenty who would prefer things to rock up on your doorstep looking as slick as possible, even if all that new cardboard is a waste. That's the world we live in.
But on the other hand, there will definitely be businesses with whom this kind of approach will find alignment, and this strikes us as the kind of goodhearted venture that certain box-receivers might feel warm and fuzzy about, even if their packages arrive looking a bit second-hand.
We can't immediately think of a worse brand name. Maybe we just spend too much time on Urban Dictionary, but this one's a real stinker and we certainly hope people know it's not for... personal use. On the other hand, if a little toilet humor helps get a good idea out there, well, we probably all know somebody who could use this stuff.
Source: Box Refresh